


Our Name

by FirebirdsDaughter



Category: Ultraman R/B (TV), ウルトラシリーズ | Ultra Series
Genre: Angst, Big Brothers, Brothers, Drama, Gen, Katsumi is the best big bro ever, i'll add more tags later i'm tired as heck, mawhahahahahahahahaaa, so naturally
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-26 18:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17147255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirebirdsDaughter/pseuds/FirebirdsDaughter
Summary: When one of his worst fears comes true during a fight, Isami's whole world is shaken to its core, shattering the confidence he'd finally managed to rebuild.When forced to make a drastic decision in a battle gone bad, Katsumi finds himself faced with another complex choice.But when all seems lost, two mysterious shadows reach out...





	1. Broken Pillar

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happened when I asked my brain who it wanted to make cry, and it told me 'Isami.'  
> Isami, I'm really, really sorry. Katsumi, too.  
> Also, in honour of R/B coming to a close this past week. Well, recently.  
> Anyway, this was an idea I had a bit a go and took a while to get going on. Later, it's gonna feature some characters I really wished we coulda met in the series, but oh well. Loved it anyway! ^^  
> P.S. Sorry about the goofy summary. I was just talking to my sister about how I love alliteration, so...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do when the thing that holds you up falls down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I like those weird riddle summaries for chapters, don't I?  
> Well, this may be a bit shorter than Onryō, I'm not sure.  
> That's really all for now, though. I decided to do this en medias ras, bc the why didn't feel like it needed explaining.  
> I may regret this later.

There was no real way to describe how it felt to be an Ultraman.

It was like being everything and nothing at the same time—a powerful surge of energy, but also weightless as a light beam—though the clouds of dust whenever they hit the ground told him that was just a sensation. It never felt like he was truly alone in his Ultra form, either—like there was some ghostly consciousness watching over them, yet part of them all at once. Isami wondered if there was a way to determine what they actually weighed in these forms, what their mass was, what kind of energy powered them… And then something exploded not far off to his right.

He shook his head to get out of existential thoughts and back into the battle, ducking just in time when Katsumi yelled a warning to him, a jet of dark blue flame (or was it flame? Isami wasn’t so sure—it wasn’t a colour he’d ever seen in fire before, but that could be due to a chemical reaction… This wasn’t the time for that) flashed dangerously close to his head.

Katsumi stumbled back over beside him, panting a bit. “Any idea what this thing is?” His older brother asked breathlessly.

“It’s not something we’ve fought before!” Isami pointed out, then another blast of maybe-fire cut off the conversation when they both had to roll aside. “It’s like some sort of… Chemical-spitting-scorpion-thingy!”

“Oh, yes, that’s a very helpful description!” Katsumi shot back exasperatedly, resorting to throwing clods of earth at the kaiju again—though it did exactly what it had done before, bounced off the monster’s thick, shiny black armour.

Water and Earth forms had seemed the sensible course of action to deal with the stuff the kaiju had been spewing—and they had managed to put out several fires—but it seemed like it was time for a new plan, especially when their timers started blinking.

Isami landed in a crouch after yet another emergency dodge, squinting at the beast thoughtfully. The armour was thick, but… Looked leathery. If it was like leather, then Water, Flame, and maybe some Wind would be their best bet to try and crack it. If the creature was more similar to a scorpion than just appearance, then…

Then something fluttered against his mind, pushing at his thoughts. A strange, light sensation, like the faintest of whispers.

He never got the chance to listen to it, though, because while he had been distracted by his musing, the kaiju had scuttled around to focus on him, energy gathering between its pincers again. He heard Katsumi yelling at the same time he saw it open its jaws to shoot, but had no time to react to either. In a last-ditch attempt, he threw up his arms, as if they could block the mass of heat and chemicals he’d literally seen eat through rock. His eyes closed—if he was going to feel what the stuff did, he sure didn’t want to see it.

Something bowled into him. And then heat was everywhere, and it all went dark.

* * *

Isami opened his eyes, a thing he had absolutely not been expecting to do. Blinking a few times, he inwardly checked his different appendages, wiggling fingers and even toes to be sure everything was still connected properly. He was surprised to discover that all of them were—and even more surprised by the fact that he was very much not dead.

Once he had ascertained that, though sore in a number of places, he was completely whole and free of any substantial injuries, he turned his attention outward—and got a face-full of burgundy.

“K… Katsu-nii?” The maroon mass shifted slightly, moving back, revealing itself to be his older brother’s jacket. He felt something on his shoulder, and realised that Katsumi’s arms were wrapped around him, had been holding him tight against his chest. His brother moved back slightly, one of his hands falling on Isami’s shoulder, allowing his younger sibling space to look around some more. Isami realised he was now sitting on the ground amongst piles of partially dissolved rubble, Katsumi down on one knee, leaning over him.

Looking up at his brother’s face, he noticed something off—a tiny uncharacteristic wince stuttering across Katsumi’s features, and his breathing slightly laboured. Then a hand ruffled his hair, interrupting his analysis, and he zoomed back out to realise Katsumi was looking at him concernedly. “… You alright?” His voice sounded odd, too.

When his brother’s frown deepened, however, Isami quickly nodded. “I’m okay.”

At a sound behind him, both brothers looked up and around to see Asahi rushing toward them, waving both arms excitedly. “Katsu-nii! Isa-nii!” Stiffly, Isami lifted his arm to wave awkwardly back at her over Katsumi’s arm.

Behind him, he heard Katsumi sigh. “Thank goodness… You’re both okay…” His voice trailed off, and Isami felt a breeze as something moved past his back—then there was a thud.

And he realised Katsumi’s hands were gone from his head and shoulder at the same time Asahi screamed.


	2. Lost and Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aimless and shaken, drifting without an anchor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, these are kinda short chapters. I never imagined this being particularly long, but it's more than just a one-shot, so.  
> Also really heavy on the angst this chapter! I **really** hit Isami with the pain stick here and I feel bad about it.  
> I AM SO SORRY.

Whirling around, he found his brother collapsed on the ground beside him.

“Katsu-nii!” Scrambling up to his knees, he grabbed Katsumi’s shoulders, shaking him, as Asahi arrived beside them. His hand brushed Katsumi’s back, and her jerked away in shock—his brother’s back was hot to the touch, as if the fabric of his jacket had been burned, though there was no sign of it.

Just like other damage they sustained as Ultramen.

Isami’s panic rose, clouding his mind as Asahi leaned in and took over shaking Katsumi when he froze. The hits they took as Ultras didn’t usually manifest normally on their bodies when they returned to themselves—usually it was just terrible pain and maybe extreme bruising. But a terrible realisation was rising in his mind; the rubble around them, Katsumi clutching him to his chest, the fact that it was his brother’s **back** that burned…

Katsumi had used his own body to shield him from the attack, taking the full force of it.

“Isa-nii!” Asashi’s frightened voice hit his ears like an out of tune note. “Isa-nii!” She cried again, when he didn’t react immediately. Finally, he forced himself to be aware of the outside world again. Asashi was looking frantically at him, her eyes brimming with tears, streaming down her cheeks already. He must have managed to focus his eyes on her, because she continued. “K… Katsu-nii… Katsu-nii’s breathing is… It’s weird!”

He blinked at her, then forcibly rotated his head, making himself look down at Katsumi. Indeed, he couldn’t tell if their brother was breathing at all—it was only when he leaned closer that he was able to hear something; but only weak, choking gasps that sounded pained and irregular. Like his body didn’t even have the strength to work his respiratory system.

Desperately, Isami wanted to just sit there. Not move. Turn to stone and stay frozen for the rest of his life. If he hadn’t gotten distracted, if he had thought of a better plan sooner, if he had… If he hadn’t…

If he had just been **better** , like he was **supposed** to be, then Katsumi wouldn’t be lying on the cement suffocating because he was literally too weak to breathe.

Something wet and warm slid down his cheek, splashing onto the ground near his hand. He scraped his fingers on the asphalt when he balled them into fists. Asahi was still staring at him in pleading horror, though, so he focused all his effort on finding his voice and willing his jaw to unlock. “He… He’s choking.” He mumbled, trying to make certain he enunciated, didn’t run it all together. “He can’t breathe. He can’t breathe.” He mutters it a few more times, less because he thought she hadn’t heard him and more because the knowledge that Katsumi was **dying** that he needed **help** was the only thing keeping him even partially sensible—even if all he was doing was sitting there mumbling.

But Asahi already had her phone out, even though her hands were trembling as she clutched the cute rabbit case, her lip quivering as she whispered, “Hospital, **hospital**!” while dialling.

The small piece of Isami’s logical half that was still functioning blessed her fortitude.

But they also had to try and keep Katsumi alive until help could reach them. He forced his other joints to unlock, his muscles to move, mechanically clutching at his older brother’s shoulders again. If he could get Katsumi on his side, or just in a position that put less weight on his lungs, maybe it would be easier. So he pulled his brother toward him, rolling him over. It was hard; Katsumi’s body had gone totally limp, completely deadweight, and his arms felt so weak. It even took him several tries to pull him up—and though the pitiful wheezing was only slightly better that way.

Asahi’s voice was breaking as she spoke on the phone, her words occasionally giving way to loud sobs. Isami knew that there were tears running down his face, too, but he couldn’t muster a sound to go with them. The outer world was disappearing again, but he did see it when Asahi looked up from her phone and mouthed ‘Soon.’

All he could do was clutch Katsumi’s arms and try to hold him where he could breath, even as Katsumi’s lungs continued to fail, tears dripping off his chin and onto his brother’s face.

When the EMTs finally arrived, they had to wrench his fingers away.

And then he couldn’t even make his legs work to follow them to the ambulance.

* * *

The moment help had arrived, Asahi had hung up on the dispatcher to call their father, and Ushio had skidded to a halt in front of the hospital in the van at the same time the ambulance arrived, rushing down the hall beside Katsumi’s stretcher while Asahi hauled Isami along behind. In the ambulance, Katsumi’s heart rate had dropped drastically as well, forcing one of the EMTs to do continuous chest compressions, barely strengthening it enough to switch off with one of the emergency doctors when they arrived. The woman was actually kneeling on the stretcher as the others pushed it along to get enough leverage. Ushio was rushing after them so frantically, he very nearly bowled the nurse who turned to stop them from going any further.

“Please wait here!” She told them, face drawn with sympathy under the greying bun atop her head. When she seemed satisfied that they would, she turned on her heel and disappeared through the door after the rest of the gaggle.

Ushio stood stock still at the centre of the hall, anxiously pulling at his scarf. Asahi managed to steer Isami over to a chair before he could just collapse on the floor, where he just melted into a heap, tears still streaming silently down his face. Taking huge, tormented breaths that shook her whole frame, she stumbled back over to clutch at the their father’s arm tightly, burying her face in his sleeve and sniffling. Ushio put a protective arm around her, holding her close to his side, rubbing her back gently.

“I’m so sorry…” He murmured, giving the top of her head a kiss, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry… It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay…”

Isami flopped his head into his hands, trying to keep his own breathing level and failing miserably. It didn’t feel like it was going to be okay. Katsumi was the one who usually held them up at times like this, the calm, sturdy foundation that made Isami feel comfortable wandering away with his thoughts and allowed Asahi to float through things like a cloud of joy. They’d both always known in the back of their minds that if they drifted too far, their grounded big brother would always pull them back when necessary, to lean back on when things seemed dark.

Without Katsumi… They had no anchor.

Thoughts were swirling faster than light through Isami’s mind. Dozens, hundreds of little things he could have, **should** have done differently to prevent this outcome. He couldn’t focus on anything, some new failure always presenting itself every time another stayed too long. But the nagging, cold feeling of terror and dread clenched around his heart didn’t waver.

Katsumi’s vital organs were failing. He couldn’t breathe without assistance and his body was struggling to keep his heart beating. Medicine might not have been Isami’s focus, but his desire to understand how things worked had still lead to him read at least a few books on the subject. He knew enough to know that people with multiple organ failure didn’t usually have good chances—and even in the best case, prolonged oxygen shortage usually caused several brain damage. Every new thought he had just told him that the likelihood of Katsumi making it through whole were extremely slim, and getting smaller.

If he hadn’t frozen up when he realised what had happened. If he had been able to do more…

A fluttering sensation interrupted his stewing. The same feeling he’d had when he’d been considering the kaiju’s armour during the fight. A gentle, cool touch, like soft breeze. In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow move—a flash of blue. But when he finally managed to drag his head up to look, there was nothing there.

Then he heard his name, felt another hand on his shoulder, and heaved his head around to find his father standing there, one arm still around Asahi, who was looking down at him with equal concern. Ushio gazed briefly down at the utter agony on his younger son’s face, then pulled him close as well, wrapping his arms tightly around both of them, patting their hair like they little all over again, letting them cry into his shirt, whispering once more how they would be okay.

They stayed huddled together that way for a long time.

* * *

_It was dark. Dark and… Warm. He felt weightless, comfortable, safe. And tired. So very, very tired. All he wanted was to stay there, in the warm comfy place, and sleep._

_“… Na… Ka… Mi…” Whispered a voice, that he somehow recognised but couldn’t place, “Op… Yo… Es…”_

_He felt another source of heat nearby, warmer—though not uncomfortably so—but… Different. Like a hearth. It felt strangely familiar. Reassuring._

_“Mi… To… Su…!” Hissed the voice, gaining an edge of urgency, “… En… Ur… Ey…!”_

_There was a strange sensation though, like he’d forgotten something very important. Like there was something he was supposed to do._

_“Minato Katsumi!” Cried the voice he knew but didn’t, “Open your eyes!”_

_With great effort, he did. And discovered a great expanse of red._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically, I just kind of made up the thing about how the damage they take as Ultras manifests. It seemed to me like, since Ultras have different anatomy than humans, and, like, don't exactly **bleed** and stuff... And it's, like... Transforming... Anyway, short version is, my theory was that w/ particularly bad damage, they suffer the effects but don't seem to actually show the injuries. Basically, what happened was that Katsumi got, like, KO'd in Ultra form, and when the damage manifested on his human body, it just responded like it had been injured that badly, even though the wounds weren't necessarily appearing. And then the shock and the different relationship Ultras have with energy just...  
> This isn't making sense, is it. Oh, whatever. Let me try a short version:  
> His human body couldn't handle the extent of the damage taken by his Ultra form, and even though it didn't visibly manifest, his body still reacted. This ended up resulting in it losing so much energy and becoming so weak that it couldn't keep itself functioning.  
> God, I hope that made more sense.


	3. Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brother to brother, hand to hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning: Katsumi and Isami are **_VERY_** unobservant in this. In true Toku hero tradition, of course.  
> Okay, so it's obvious who these two are. I guess Katsumi has an excuse because he's in a **(SPOILER: REDACTED)** , his senses and memory are a little fuzzy, and I guess Isami's still kinda in 'panic trance.'  
> Yes, I _did_ make up a lame, shallow excuse to get Isami alone at the end.

After what seemed like years, the doctor finally appeared through the double door, still drying his hands. The three of them broke apart, and Ushio hurried over to the balding man while Asahi moved to hold Isami’s hand. “How is he?

“… I’ll be completely honest.” The man said slowly, taking a deep breath. “There was a moment when we thought we’d lost him completely, but…” He shook his head in awe. “His heart just… Jumpstarted again. Like something…” He trailed off, looking up to meet Ushio’s eyes again. “Your son is a strong young man. We managed to get him mostly stabilised thanks to that, but…” There his face fell. “But he’s still critical. He still can’t breathe on his own, and his body is barely functioning, and…” Another deep sigh told them the next part was just as bad. “… And he seems to have slipped into a coma.”

“A coma?” Their father managed. Isami’s heart was already through the floor.

“We’ve got him on life support, and that seems to be working for now, but if he starts declining at the same rate he did before… It may not be enough.” The doctor shook his head. “Unfortunately, we were unable to identify the cause of the organ failure, so we have no way of treating it. We have no way of knowing when he’ll wake up, or…”

Or if he would wake up at all, was the unspoken end of the sentence. There was a long silence.

“… I’m sorry.” The doctor said quietly. “I promise, we’re doing everything we can for him.”

“Can we see him?” Ushio wanted to know.

“As long as we don’t know what’s causing the failures, I’m afraid we can’t let you in the room to avoid outside contamination, but there is a viewing room. I’ll have a nurse show you where.” Ushio nodded gratefully, bowing slightly to the doctor.

Asahi clasped her hands together hopefully. “Come on, Isa-nii!” She said, her voice only wavering slightly, “Let’s go see Katsu-nii!” There was a silence. “Isa-nii?” She turned around, looking about. “Isa-nii?”

Isami was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Isami didn’t know where he was going. He’d just had to get away the moment the word ‘coma’ had been uttered. Comas were bad. The chances of waking up were terrible, pretty much no matter what. He only noticed the wall in front of him when he walked into it, bumping his nose so hard he would have sworn he’d broken it—had his mind been working. As it was, he just hauled back and punched the wall, ignoring the way the rough plaster scraped his knuckles, leaving red marks. The people around him ignored him in turn, too busy with their own bustle and worries to notice the young man leaning and scrabbling against the wall like it was all that was holding him up.

There was nothing he could do. He had nothing, was powerless to do a single thing to change his brother’s fate. Not only had he gotten Katsumi hurt in the first place, he had no way to fix the damage he had caused.

If… If Katsumi died… Then… Then…

He froze. The fluttering, calm sensation was back. Some sort of unnatural, yet not irritating, vibration in the air—a pleasant humming that he felt at the base of his skull. This time, however, it didn’t flit away immediately, and seemed to have a source somewhere to his left. Slowly, carefully, like he was trying not to frighten a wild animal, he turned his head, peaking over his arm.

Standing at the end of the hallway, indifferent to the hustle and bustle going on around him, was a man. He was a little too tall for a human, but thin and wiry in build. His clothes didn’t belong, either—something that looked like black leather and a little like armour, with a high collar that reached his chin but was pulled open in the front, and fingerless gloves on his hands with blue patterning on the back. Diagonally over everything was a large, simple blue scarf—of a mysteriously familiar shade—fastened and pleated at his hip and shoulder as a sash. His hair was mostly black as well, drooping forward a bit into his narrow face—but there was a blue streak, the same hue as his sash, right down the centre of his scalp, probably all the way to the back of his neck. He was staring straight at Isami with doleful, silver-gold eyes that seemed to stare right through the boy’s head.

But his presence didn’t make Isami feel uncomfortable at all—the opposite, in fact. It was strangely reassuring, like seeing an old friend, though Isami couldn’t think where he would know the man from—the face didn’t look familiar, and yet somehow he recognised it. The weird sense of connection drew him away from the wall, slowly setting one foot in front of the other, still wobbling on his legs. No one else seemed to notice, walking around the man obliviously as if he wasn’t even there, cutting Isami off periodically as he tried to hobble forward.

As he got closer, the man in blue raised an arm, holding out a hand to him like he was trying to steady Isami, even stretching out just a little, prompting. Isami stared down at the hand for a moment, then looked up into the pale, shining eyes curiously. But nothing he saw there made him feel threatened at all; the soft, cool sensation seemed to be emanating from the man like an aura, and this close to him Isami felt indescribably safe. So he swallowed nervously, but sluggishly raised his own hand to reach toward the man’s—

“Isa-nii!”

He proper jumped when Asashi spoke behind him, whirling around to stare at her wildly. Then, he remembered the man, and spun back around—only to find him gone.

“Isa-nii?”

He looked back over his shoulder to see Asahi blinking at him, looking confused. “I…” He rasped, glancing back and forth between where the man in blue had been and his sister, “There… There was a…” He realised, then, that she was clutching at his sleeve a little harder than necessary, and took a moment to make himself really look at her. There were tear tracks dried on her cheeks, and fright was seeded in her bewilderment, her lower lip quivering. He swallowed again. “Nothing.”

She tugged at his sleeve. “Then let’s go. We can at least **see** Katsu-nii.”

His breath caught. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see Katsumi like that, but Asahi was giving him another pleading, pitiful look, and her voice was cracking again. So he took one last look around for the man in blue, and, finding nothing, conceded to be lead away by his sister.

* * *

_Katsumi sat up to find that the red was the sky, and he was in some sort of strange landscape, a merge between a forest, a desert, a mountain foothills, and a field. Everything was tinted in warm, red light, like the sun was eternally in the process of setting. The sound of movement somewhere behind and above him made him turn and look up._

_Sitting atop one of the rock outcroppings from the mountainous parts, was a man. He had one leg crossed over the other, and seemed to be slightly taller than a human normally wound be, with a sturdy build and broad shoulders. His clothing seemed to be some sort of dark brown leather, though slightly plate like armour—he had on gloves with red markings on the palms, and a stiff, tall collar that reached up as far as his jaw. Wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl—of a specific hue that looked vaguely familiar—was a large, plain red scarf, securedtogether by the edges at his left shoulder. His hair was brown, too, a slightly darker tone than his base clothes, smoothed back from his face, though strands were escaping to fall forward again—but on either side of his head, just a little above his ears, were two red streaks, right from the roots. His eyes where a silvery-gold colour, and seemed to glow from certain angles, but were currently staring unblinkingly back at Katsumi._

_The strange thing was there was nothing unnerving about it. He was certain he’d never seen the man before in his life, but there was something about him that looked inexplicably familiar, and the man’s presence was soothing rather than alarming at all. Seeing Katsumi sitting up, the man’s face split into a grin, and he uncrossed his legs, kicking his feet briefly, and raised a hand to wave once. Katsumi blinked drearily at him, then shook his head a little, and gazed around some more while struggling to his feet. The air felt incredibly pleasant—there was a slight breeze, and everything around them was remarkably picturesque. It felt almost like the whole world was wrapping its arms around him, trying to hold him close and never let go—and a not insubstantial part of him wanted to let it._

_He turned around to look the other way—abruptly came face to face with the man in red._

* * *

Asahi guided Isami back through the halls to a small room with chairs and a table, and a large window on one side, by which their father was anxiously hovering. When they arrived, he bustled over to worry over Iasmi a bit, only relenting when his younger son just brushed him off and slouched his way over to a chair, not even bothering to glance in the direction of the window.

The last thing he needed to see was Katsumi on life support.

Eventually, their father mumbled something about paperwork and sleeping arrangements, told them he’d be back soon, and hurried out. Asahi looked away from the window to nod in acknowledgement, and ascertained that Isami hadn’t moved at all in the past hour. Taking a deep breath, she bit her lip and walked over to him, crouching down so that she could see his lowered face.

“It will be okay.” She told him. “Katsumi is really strong! He’ll be alright!” When he made no response, she hesitated, trying another tactic. “We… We need to stay positive, okay? Happy!” She accented the word with her customary hand motion—but her face fell when he didn’t react. Rising, she rubbed her hands together, biting her lip even harder. Finally, she reached into her bag and produced one of her customary candies, specifically in a bright red wrapper—taking his hand in both of hers, she pressed the sweet into his palm. “It **will** be okay.” She repeated, looking determinedly into his face. Then she stepped back, squaring her shoulders. “I’m hungry, and I bet you are, too. You’ll feel better after you eat. Watch over Katsu-nii while I get us something!” Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and hurried toward the door.

Scampering right past the man in blue on her way out.

* * *

_Katsumi jumped back a step in surprise._

_The man in red didn’t seem bothered by it. “Katsumi.” He said—in a voice that was equally as familiar and unplaceable as his face—and Katsumi wasn’t certain if it was a greeting, merely an identification, or something else. He didn’t get to wonder about it when the man continued, tone and expression turning worried. “… Are you alright?”_

_Katsumi blinked a few times, then realised the man was still gazing at him fretfully, and tried to answer. “I, uh… I think I’m alright?” The man’s anxious expression didn’t waver, though, so he supposed that was the wrong response. But there was another thing weighing on his mind. “I… I’m sorry, but…’_

_‘Who_ **_are_ ** _you?”_

* * *

Isami could only stare in shock.

But the man in blue seemed entirely unperturbed by his behaviour, walking calmly across the room to stand in front of him. “Isami.” He said simply, and his voice was just frustratingly almost-recognisable as his face. His tone was concerned, but something about it and his posture made it seem like they should be long-term acquaintances. Isami couldn’t tell if the name was anything more than a salutation, but the man kept talking before he could think about it more. “… This isn’t like you.”

There was a long silence after the words, and Isami realised that he was awaiting a response. Chewing his lip, his gaze shot downward again. “… How would you know?” He grumbled—then looked back up, face a mixture of accusing and questioning;

“I don’t even know who you **are**.”

The man in blue actually appeared to be taken aback by his words.

* * *

_The man in red seemed genuinely astonished by the question._

_“… You… Don’t recognise me?” He asked carefully, searching Katsumi’s face with his pale eyes. Katsumi shook his head. “Oh, dear. It’s worse than I thought.”_

* * *

“You really don’t know?” The man in blue questioned, his frown deepening “After… After everything we…” He sighed deeply, lean shoulders heaving.  “You are a mess.” He mused—without judgement, and more sorrow and sympathy. Finally, he straightened his back and made certain that Isami was meeting his gaze.

* * *

_The man heaved a soft sigh. Then he turned and looked Katsumi right in the face, very seriously._

_“Minato Katsumi. At this moment, there is no one in the world…”_

* * *

“… Who knows me so well as you. Minato Isami.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we get to the HARD PART.  
> Okay, so I love these two.  
> I also HATE THEM.  
> Because they have this tendency to do THIS. Say the same lines in two separate scenes.  
> IT'S SO HARD TO WRITE I'VE STOPPED USING HTML TEXT ALTERATIONS TO SHOW EMPHASIS.  
> Also, I hope the descriptions of their appearances came out okay. I have this image in my head, but I was trying hard not to go into insanely unnecessary detail about everything. Also I love the parallels they are wonderful, cheesy as hell, but wonderful.  
> Anyway, that's all for now.

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!


End file.
